Sacramento daily record-union. [volume] (Sacramento [Calif.]) 1875-1891, 1887-03-28
SAN FRANCISCO POsTOFFICE.

The Way in Which Holman Managed to
Obstruct an appropriation.
The following letter appeared on Saturday
in the San Francisco paper addressed, and
very effectively refutes the unjust reflection
upon Congressman Morrow in the matter
of securing the appropriation for the Post
Office site in that city:
To The Editor Of The Chronicle SIR: In the
Chronicle of yesterday Jesse ID. Carr is reported
as having said to a reporter that the appTopria-
ton for a Postotiice site could have BEEN e-
cured at the previous session of Congress.
g 1t would have been passed" he says, % if
Morrow had been more prudent" In view of
the fact that the people of this city had for
nearly twenty years prior to my term in Con-
gress petitioned most vigorously for a new Post
Office building: that the Chamber of Commerce
and Board of Trade had passed numerous reso.
lutions upon the subject, and the Legislature of
the sta,e, eyen enlisted in support OF the prop
Osition and all this effort without success, it
Will doubtless occur tothe average citizen that
my effort to obtain the appropriation, however
directed, was reasonably successful.
Mr. Carr, as reported explains my impru-
dence as follows; Holman is very shrewd
man. When Morrow went before the committee,
Holman said: Well, when you get the site,
what kind of building will you want? Nor
row tnguardedly said We'll we shall expect
fiIst-c ass building one that will cost, when
completed S50O0,000 or s6,000,000' That settled
it. Holman had heard enough"
If | had said what Mr.. Carr attributes to me,
would certainly have told the truth. We do ex-
pect the General Government to erect a first
class substantial building in >an Francisco, and
the appropriation of s350,000 for site only car
ries that proposition on its face. The location.
and commercial and financial importance of
this city demand that the Federal building now
to be erected should be first-clasS in every par
ticular, and am sure | shall be justified in urg-
ing the propriety and necessity of further ap-
pruprl atoms with that object in view. But con
cening Mr.. Holman's opposition to our BILL
beg leave to suggest that Mr.. Carr has been
misiniormed upon the subject. In the first
place, Mr.. Holman was not a member of
the Committee on Public Buildings and
Ground', and was, Therefore, not present
when the bill was under consideration.
Furthermore he never raised the objection
mentioned by Mr.. Carr to any member of the
delegation. The obiecti n he urged while here
in San Francisco, and when spoken to about the
matter in Washington, was that the new build
lug should be erected on the present Custom
house lot His opposition, therefore, TO the pur-
chase of a nelg site was the obstacle in the way
OF obtaining unanimous consent TO the passage
of the bill at an earlier date. My recognition
for a motion to suspend the rules and pass the
bill came. however, in regulsr order, when an
oppo ition Of less than onethird of the House
was Intellectual to prevent the passage of the
bill. The real difficulty apprehended was
that my name might not be reached the
Speakers list for a motion to suspend the rules,
al hough had been on the list for over a year.
motion to suspend the rules is only in order
when made by member mot Chairman of a
committee) on the first Monday of each month
and on the last six days of the session During
the last Congress other business of a privileged
character continually interfered to prevent
the recognition Of members desiring to
make such motions, and during the last
six days the Speaker was continually i'm
portuned by members to disregard the list
regularly entered and recognize gentlemen who
desired to make motions to take up bills said to
De of genefal importance to the country, as for
instance, Mr.. Reagan claimed recognition to
take up the bill granting Il charter 10 company
TO build the Ea7s ship railway: Mr.. Randall
and Others to take up one of the tariff bills.
Mr.. Willis to move the passage OF the Blair ed
ueational bill Mr.. Cannon to cali up bill
granting charter to a company to build a hotel
in Washington, aud so other members asked
recognit on to call up various measures sup
posed to be OF national importance. In face of
this pressure il 6evOlved upon US to secure the
Speakers recognition on tie ground of the
priority of our application and the importance
of our bill. his we did and the bill was passed.
In saying this much l do not desire to be un-
derstood as claiming any particular credit for
the pas age of the bill. 1t was in my charge
and gave it constant attention, but the entire
delegation gave it their earnest support and as
we always worked in harmony in matters affect
ing the interest of the State, we were successful
where want of harmony would have ended in
failure Very e,pec.fuliy.
WILLIAM W MORROW.
March - 1851